Walking along an amazing wooden street [eng/spa]

Marrón Productos Vintage Apertura Collage Post en Facebook_20250918_221309_0000.png

Have you ever walked on a wooden street? Do you know what it feels like to do it? Well, if you would like to live the experience, you can go to Tacón Street, on one of the sides of the Weapons Square, in the historic center of Old Havana. Right there stands the Wooden Street , which is the only street with these characteristics not only in Havana, but in all of Cuba.
I grew up surrounded by old and cobblestone streets, as I come from the city of Camagüey, former village of Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe; and its historic center, which has even been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is made up of this network of roads; but I must admit that this one has a unique magic.

¿Alguna vez han caminado sobre una calle de madera? ¿Saben que se siente hacerlo? Pues si les gustaría vivir la experiencia, pueden llegar hasta la calle Tacón, en una de los laterales de la Plaza de Armas, en el centro histórico de la Habana Vieja. Justo allí se erige la Calle de Madera, que es la única vía que cuenta con estas características no solo en La Habana, sino en toda Cuba.
Yo crecí rodeada de calles antiguas y adoquinadas, pues provengo de la ciudad de Camagüey, antigua villa de Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe; y su centro histórico, que incluso ha sido declarado como Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO, está compuesto por este entramado de vías; pero debo admitir que esta tiene una magia única.


InShot_20250918_213441051.jpg

InShot_20250918_213208091.jpg

The first time I visited this place was on a Saturday afternoon, accompanied by a group of friends who had invited me to one of the most renowned literary activities in the city, called Sábado del Libro (Book Saturday). In this event literary works of different genres and publishers are presented, and you can even interact in a very pleasant way with the authors; so this traditional space is an excellent excuse to visit the Wooden Street .
This street is located just outside the gates of the Palace of the Captains General , which currently constitutes the City Museum, so organizing a sightseeing tour in this area can become a magnificent experience. This offers the duality of possibilities of looking down to peruse the street, and up to delight in the architecture of the building.
And related exactly to the palace, the Wooden Street treasures a curious history. It is said that it was built because the Captain General, who at that time lived in the current City Museum, was very annoyed by the noise of the carriages, so, experimentally, he ordered the street to be built with these characteristics.

La primera vez que visité este lugar fue una tarde de sábado, acompañada de un grupo de amigos que me habían invitado a una de las actividades literarias más reconocidas de toda la ciudad, llamada Sábado del Libro. En ese evento se presentan obras literarias de diferentes géneros y editoriales, e incluso se puede interactuar de forma muy amena con los autores; así que este espacio tradicional es una excelente excusa para visitar la Calle de Madera.
Esta calle se encuentra justo a las puertas del Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, que actualmente constituye el Museo de la Ciudad, así que organizar un recorrido turístico en esta área puede convertirse en una magnífica experiencia. Esto ofrece la dualidad de posibilidades de mirar hacia abajo para observar con detenimiento la calle, y hacia arriba para deleitarse con la arquitectura del inmueble.
Y relacionado exactamente con el palacio, la Calle de Madera atesora una curiosa historia. Se dice que esta fue construida porque al Capitán General, que en aquella época vivía en el actual Museo de la Ciudad; le molestaba sobremanera en ruido de los carruajes, por lo que, de forma experimental, mandó a construir la calle con estas características.


InShot_20250918_213232565.jpg

InShot_20250918_213350152.jpg

Evidently this type of design was not successful, since its implementation was quite costly and with a very short useful life. In fact, more than 40 years ago, when the Office of the Historian of the city began its actions of repair and recovery of the historic center, it was discovered the existence of the Wooden Street, which had been covered with pavement. Of course, in order to maintain the beauty of this place, the competent authorities must carry out maintenance and repair work every few years.

Evidentemente este tipo de diseño no tuvo éxito, pues su puesta en marcha era bastante costoso y con una vida útil muy corta. De hecho, hace más de 40 años, cuando la Oficina del Historiador de la ciudad comenzó sus acciones de reparación y recuperación del centro histórico, se descubrió la existencia de la Calle de Madera, que había sido cubierta con pavimento. Por supuesto, que para mantener la belleza de esta lugar, las autoridades competentes deben realizar trabajos de mantenimiento y reparación cada determinados períodos.


InShot_20250918_212752326.jpg

InShot_20250918_213100472.jpg

InShot_20250918_213128081.jpg

In the middle of this street is a life-size statue of the unforgettable Eusebio Leal Spengler. This work was made by Cuban artist José Villa Soberón, who is also the author of other iconic sculptures in the city.
Leal was for many years the city's historian and one of the most fervent lovers Havana has ever had. In this piece, Leal is observed with a raised hand, simulating a cordial gesture of greeting, in a scene in which it was very common to see him every day. The fact that this work was placed right at the gates Palace of the Captains General is no coincidence, since this was Leal's favorite place in the whole city.

En medio de esta calle se, encuentra una estatua de tamaño real del inolvidable Eusebio Leal Spengler. Esta obra fue confeccionada por el artista cubano José Villa Soberón, quien también es autor de otras de las esculturas más icónicas que tiene la ciudad.
Leal fue por muchos años, el historiador de la ciudad y uno de los más fervientes amantes que ha tenido La Habana. En esta pieza, se observa a Leal con una mano alzada, simulando un cordial gesto de saludo, en una escena en la que era muy común verlo cada día. Incluso, que esta obra haya sido ubicada justo a las puertas del Palacio de los Capitanes Generales no es fruto de la casualidad, pues responde a que este era el sitio preferido de Leal en toda la ciudad.


InShot_20250918_212926378.jpg

InShot_20250918_212820061.jpg

InShot_20250918_213024082.jpg

04-1.jpg

Original content by @indipnash91
📸 Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Editing: Canvas
Translation: DeepL
Discord: indipnash91
X: @NashP91986
Reddit: indipnash91

Contenido original por @indipnash91
📸 Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Edición: Canvas
Traducción: DeepL
Discord: indipnash91
X: @NashP91986
Reddit: indipnash91



0
0
0.000
20 comments
avatar
Congratulations, your post has been added to The WorldMapPin Map! 🎉



You can check out this post and your own profile on the map. Be part of the Worldmappin Community and join our Discord Channel to get in touch with other travelers, ask questions or just be updated on our latest features.
0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations, your post has been added to the TravelFeed Map! 🎉🥳🌴

Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!

Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to TravelFeed Map
  • Click the create pin button
  • Drag the marker to where your post should be. Zoom in if needed or use the search bar (top right).
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post (any Hive frontend)
  • Or login with Hive Keychain or Hivesigner and click "create post" to post to Hive directly from TravelFeed
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!
PS: You can import your previous Pinmapple posts to the TravelFeed map.
map
Opt Out

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hiya, @ybanezkim26 here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Travel Digest #2688.

Your post has been manually curated by the @worldmappin team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!

Become part of our travel community:

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wow, I had no idea there was a wooden street like this! 💖 The history about the Captain General trying to reduce the noise is such a fascinating detail 🙌 It’s so cool that you shared that story along with the one behind the statue ✨ Thanks for taking us there! 💕

0
0
0.000
avatar

I love to know the history that places hide, they are always interesting and enriching. Thank you for your comment @wanderelle 🤗

0
0
0.000
avatar

PS: Did you know that we have our own Hive frontend at TravelFeed.com? For your next travel post, log in to TravelFeed with Hive Keychain or Hivesigner and take advantage of our exclusive features for travel bloggers.

0
0
0.000